Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

priorities

How Are You Spending Your Time?

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Where is your life leading? Are you pursuing things that further the kingdom of God or are you pursuing things that bring pleasure to your own life? The Western world is filled with marketing that caters to our desires for pleasure and entertainment. We are regularly bombarded by images, music and slogans that have absolutely no kingdom value. Remember, we are supposed to be bringing the Kingdom of God down to this earth. We are supposed to be preparing our world to house God’s kingdom. Are the things we are pursuing and allowing to influence our lives moving us toward or away from that goal?

So much competes for our attention on a daily basis. What matters is what you allow to actually capture your attention. Jesus was pretty clear about where our attention should be focused; we should be continually focused on the poor, the hurting, the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the widow, the single moms and the orphans. How does this list compare with what has your attention today? Every time we take our eyes off of the mission of Jesus, we are turning against that very same mission. How will we explain ourselves when we stand and face Jesus? How will we account for our time? We have such a limited number of years here on earth that we cannot afford to waste a minute of it. Unfortunately, most of us waste the vast majority of our time in pursuit of things that have no relevance to the Kingdom. It is vital we understand that we are responsible for how we spend every moment of our lives.

I am not advocating that we should never do anything for simple fun or entertainment, but we must make certain that these activities do not dominate our lives. Whenever you plan your day, make certain to include kingdom building tasks and activities. Before engaging in anything, do a quick mental check and ask yourself if this action will advance the kingdom of God in any way. Will it negatively affect the advancement of the kingdom? We are called to live a different life from those who do not follow Christ. The road we travel is narrow, and we cannot carry much baggage. We must live and walk simply. Most of all, we must be careful to not fall behind or stumble to the side. Let those around you pursue the pleasures of this world. We have a higher call on our lives, an example we must set.

Perhaps you feel as if you will be missing out on things if you do not take advantage of what the world has to offer. Think about that for a minute; you are afraid that by following Jesus, the one to whom you have sworn allegiance, the one you claim to love above all else, that you might miss something better. Know this: there is nothing so satisfying as walking as Jesus walked, loving like He loved, and serving as He served. You will not miss a thing. To believe otherwise is to believe the lies of the enemy and to buy into the messages being put forth by the media. Who is it that you trust to tell you the truth – Jesus or Madison Avenue?

Try an entertainment fast. Refrain from some form of entertainment media for thirty days; don’t watch television, don’t eat out, don’t play video games, don’t turn on the radio, etc. Whatever it is that might be a sacrifice to you, try giving it up for 30 days. Do it for Jesus, commit the time to Him. You’ll be amazed how much time you have on your hands and how much more you are able to accomplish.

Are you living for the kingdom or yourself? Will you be ashamed to give an account of how you spent your time on earth? Are you working towards making the kingdom of God a reality on this earth? If not, why not? Where are your loyalties? Is He truly your Lord? If He is, you will follow Him regardless of the consequence. Check your motives and priorities, and change what you must. Embrace the deep joy of following Christ and giving Him all that you have.

Why We Don’t Utilize God’s Gifts

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In the last blog post (see “Gifts from God”), we discussed the gifts that God has given to each one of us. A reader asked why I thought people did not use the gifts they have been given, and I felt this was worthy of a follow up post. I’d be very interested to hear some of your thoughts as well, so please leave a comment with some of the reasons you believe people do not use their gifts, or perhaps even reasons you have refrained from using your own gifts. I’m certain your comments will be useful, inspiring and thought provoking to the rest of the audience.

So what are some of the reasons people do not exercise the gifts God has given them? If we take a step back and analyze the question, it is somewhat unbelievable to conceive of the premise; we have been given gifts, talents, and abilities from the Creator of the Universe and the only thing we see fit to do with them is hide them away so no one knows! This surely is not our finest moment. When I was growing up, I remember people (mostly women) who would get a towel from Elvis Presley at his concert; they showed everyone their gift (if a sweat covered rag indeed qualifies as a gift)! They couldn’t wait to tell everyone they’d meet about this amazing item. It was displayed with honor in their homes, there for all to see. My example is somewhat frivolous I realize, but the truth remains. When someone we admire gives us a gift, we can’t shut up about it. We are compelled to use it and tell the story behind it to everyone we encounter. Yet when the King of the Universe, the one we proclaim is our Lord, gives us a gift, we hide it away to make certain no one knows about it. Why?

Fear – We are afraid people will make fun of us; we’re afraid to be labeled a Jesus freak or a fanatic. We’re afraid we’ll be cast out of our circle of friends. We’re afraid people will look down on us. There is no fear in love and God is, above all else, love. If we are fearful then we are not trusting in Him. Would you follow someone you don’t trust? Of course you wouldn’t. If you are fearful, then you are not trusting God, and so it would seem logical to conclude you are not following Him. We follow those we trust. If you would be a true follower of Christ, there can be no fear in doing so.

Time – We claim we don’t have time to use our gifts. Our society and lives have become so busy that there simply isn’t space in our life to make use of what God entrusted to us. If this is you, may I humbly suggest that your priorities are not in order? If you have time for other things, but not for God and the works He gave you to accomplish, then He is not Lord of your life. Stop kidding yourself; you are not following Jesus if you are too busy following other pursuits in life. This is dangerous and you need to surrender yourself to Him anew.

Money – Our gifts require us to spend some money, and we simply don’t have it. God equips you to do the works He designed for you. If He calls you to feed the hungry and you can barely afford food for your own family, you need to simply trust Him to provide. Use whatever you have to do what He created you to do. He’ll take care of the rest. Following Jesus means walking a path that won’t always make sense to us. We aren’t called to understand everything He commands us to do; we are called to simply do. If He is truly your Lord, you will trust Him. If you do not have the faith in Jesus to provide for your needs, then you are not truly following Christ; you are merely a spectator in the crowd.

Laziness – Following Jesus is a hard road; it requires hard work. Many times we simply don’t feel like putting forth the effort. We’d rather catch an extra hour of sleep or watch something on television. In the Western culture, it is easy to forget that there is a spiritual war being waged all around us. If you believe in Christ and in His word, you know this to be true. If we are lazy in war, we will be defeated. If we are defeated, we cannot be following Christ, because Christ is never defeated. We can get knocked down, but as long as we are following Christ, we can never be beaten. There are no timeouts in war. There is no possible way to follow Jesus in a lackadaisical manner.

Selfishness – If we were to use our gifts, we would never have time to do the things we want to do. If this is where you find yourself, you need to take a hard look at what you want to do with the life God has given you. Either Jesus is the Lord of your life or you are. Whom will you choose? Following Jesus is an all or nothing proposition; you can’t serve two masters. If you are to be a true follower of Jesus, you must give up your life as you know it. Jesus died for you; we must do the same for Him. If you would proclaim Jesus as Lord, your every aim and desire must be to do the works He created you to do.

Are you utilizing the gifts God has given to you? If not, did you find yourself in any of the excuses above? If you haven’t been using what God has entrusted to you, it’s not too late. As long as you have breath you can begin to use what God has given you to accomplish the tasks He created you to do. Not sure where to start? Drop me a line ([email protected]); I’ll help you figure it out. Not sure what to do? Start with the basics: feed the hungry; shelter the homeless; take care of the sick, the orphans, the widows and those in poverty. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Do the work He created you to do. Utilize the gifts God has given you.

Goals for the New Year, part 2

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Are you excited as you look toward the upcoming year? There is something marvelously cleansing and refreshing about January 1st. As long as we’re still breathing, we get a “do-over” for the previous year. While it’s true that we can start our do-over on any day (or every day for that matter), there is something invigorating about a new year. This will be the year we finally kick that bad habit, attempt something we’ve never done before, get in better shape, live a life wholly devoted to Jesus. The New Year brings with it endless possibilities, we simply need to grab hold of those things we want to change and not let go until they are accomplished.

As we’ve discussed in previous posts, one of the greatest things you can do to ensure you achieve your goals is to write them down. This does not mean to simply make a list of things you want to accomplish, although this can be a great starting point. A list is just a list and does little to bring you closer to your goals; it is unfocused and lifeless. While a list can bring a little clarity, what we really need to do is to put action behind the items on that list. Without action the list will remain a bunch of lifeless wishes. A plan of action will turn a wish list item into a goal, and executing that plan will turn a goal into an accomplishment. Your goals should not be too easy (save that for daily tasks) nor too difficult (break these items down into smaller achievable goals). What is it you really want to accomplish over the next year? Ultimately the greater question is “What sort of person do you want to become over the next year?”

Given the focus of this blog, I’m going to concentrate on spiritual goals, but the concepts translate into all areas of life. Indeed, if you are not achieving excellence in areas such as your health, relationships and xxx, you will find it difficult to achieve your spiritual goals. When your life is out of balance, much as a car that isn’t firing on all cylinders, you will find your life to be inefficient and breaking down. We need to honor God in all areas of our life so we may perform optimally for Him.

Back to our question: “Who do you want to become in 2010?” When the calendar shows December 31st next year, how will your life be different? Take some time to write a brief description of the person you wish to become. Do you know of anyone who already demonstrates the life that you desire? Study that person, observe how they talk, the things they do and how they respond to various situations. Take plenty of notes and review them daily. Reflect on how you handle the same situations you’ve seen them in and make a note of what you need to change, to do differently. Model your speech after theirs; endeavor to emulate that person in every way possible until their good habits become your good habits. Compare yourself regularly against the description you wrote of the person you want to become. Are you making progress? Make adjustments as needed and continue to model your life after the person (or persons) who demonstrate the qualities you desire to have.

As Christians, our perfect role model is Jesus Christ. If we truly desire to live a life of total devotion to Him, we must model our lives after His. Don’t just read about His life in the New Testament, really study it, taking notes as needed to guide you as you develop the specific areas of your life that need to be changed. Study the character of God in the Old Testament. Adjust your description of who you want to become as you learn more about His character. Pray for His help and guidance as you strive to live a life modeled after Jesus. If you will focus daily on becoming a person after God’s heart, you will find amazing things happen in your life. I don’t mean you will suddenly find great wealth or never get sick, although these things could happen. But the greatest changes you will see will be internal. You will find yourself becoming more humble, gentler and more loving. You will develop a sense of peace and calmness in your soul that will be a place of great strength when you encounter trials. There could be no greater goal for 2010 than to become more like Jesus. It will take work. Make this your goal, not simply a vague wish. Determine today that this will be the year you let go of the temporal pleasures of this world and devote yourself wholly to our Lord. This will be the greatest year of your life.

The People You Meet and the Books You Read

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Charlie “Tremendous” Jones once said that “You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things: the books you read and the people you meet.” I submit that the same applies to our walk with Christ. Over the next five years, our growth – our ability to live a life that truly reflects and honors God – will be exactly what it is today except for the books we read and the people we meet.

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Moving Toward Your Goals

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Did you ever have one of those conversations that feel like someone just threw a glass of cold water in your face? Wisdom can come from the most unlikely of sources, yet one more reminder that God has an incredible sense of humor. It’s so easy to get caught up in the details of our day to day lives that we can lose track of what we’re actually trying to accomplish. I was recently talking with someone I’d never met before about doing some work together. He simply asked what my ideal job would be. When I told him, he responded with, “and how does doing this job move you toward that goal?” Wow; that unsettled me because I knew that working with him would do absolutely nothing to move me toward my goals in life. It was a simple statement from a stranger, someone younger than I, and with far less experience in this world; I don’t even know if the man is a believer in Christ. I only know that, at least on this night, God used him to speak wisdom into my life.

It’s amazing what we can hear, what we can learn, if only we are open to do so. While it is not the topic of this post, I encourage you to be ever listening for and ever seeking the voice of God. I think you’ll be surprised at some of the ways He chooses to speak. Personally, I love that; I love that God is unpredictable, unashamed and lacks all pretense. He simply loves us and will speak to us in any and every possible way.

But back to the question of my new friend: how is what you are doing today moving you toward your life goals? Perhaps we should back up and make certain you actually have life goals. Do you have a well defined purpose for your life? Are you pursuing things you are passionate about, things that God has uniquely gifted you to do? There is a well documented but rarely followed secret to accomplishing your goals: you must write them down. Write down your life goals on a sheet of paper and put a date next to each one. This is the date you will accomplish that goal. Now work backwards from the date and write down the tasks you will need to complete in order to reach your goal. Read through your goals no less than every week. Read them daily or twice a day. Constantly remind yourself of what you are working towards, and those things you must do to reach each goal.

Armed with a list of your goals, reminding yourself of them regularly, you will be well equipped to determine if the task at hand moves you toward or away from your goals. You will spend your life doing one or the other. I don’t want to live a life that constantly moves me away from my goals. I don’t want to face God when my days are done with the knowledge that I left unfinished the work He gave me to do. Life is but a vapor, just a breath. Our time is short and fleeting. Don’t waste your life moving away from your goals. Embrace your mission and only take on tasks that move you forward. Only God and you can say for sure what your unique mission, your unique goals will be. I do know that followers of Jesus will always have goals that in some way will advance His kingdom, His love and His mission. You are uniquely equipped to accomplish your goals. Make sure your mission aligns with His, that your goals advance that mission, and that you spend each day of your life doing things that will lead to the accomplishment of those goals. For this you were created, and for this you are called to live.